5 Ways Stone Didn't Die
by leobrat
Summary: 5 what-if's


**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

_February 5, 1992_

Mike had sworn time and time again, that the next time he found Crystal in that boarded up junkie house, shooting up, he was going to leave her there. This time, he had actually followed through. 

Now, as he sat all crouched over in the park, burrowing his chin as deeply into his jean jacket as he could and rubbing his fists together to keep them from freezing, he almost envied her in that warm, cozy crackden. 

When he'd first left her, he'd swiped at the hot tears running down his face, because he knew they'd freeze in about a second in this cold. Now his hands were too cold to uncurl, and he just concentrated on breathing deep between the chattering of his teeth. 

By the time he found Crystal, it was too late to hit the 12th Street Drop-In Home. They had a midnight curfew, and he had just missed it. Under the bridge was the best he could do to block out the wind, even though it was pretty damp. The bells at St. Aquinas chimed quarter of four, and he knew he only had a few more hours until the sun rose, and he'd warm up some then. But he was getting so tired.

"Stay awake," he mumbled to himself. "Just for a little bit more, Mike...Come on, Mikey, stay..."

_November 30, 1995_

"Robin?" He called weakly, but Stone was pretty sure he hadn't made any noise at all.

He could feel himself slipping. Oh God, this wasn't how it was supposed to end. She had been with him all night, spooned up against him, her slender little arms, the arms that had proved just how strong she really was, curled tight around him all night. Where was she now? Oh yeah. She had gone downstairs to make him some weak tea. 

"Robin..." He called again. He didn't know if he could face the end without her, but then...He blinked his eyes, and for the first time in weeks, could see. He saw the soft golden sunlight spilling through the curtains, see all the various pictures around the walls of the past few years, all his friends...the happiest times, the best life. "Robin..." He called again. He could see. He could see her one last time.

He thought he heard the echo of footsteps in the hallway, and he desperately clung to the vision of the inanimate objects in the room. iJust hang on. Just hang on until you can see her one last time./i

But Stone was fading, and the approaching bright light overtook everything just as he heard the door opening.

_April 25, 1998_

Stone straightened the collar on his leather jacket and checked his watch. Shipment was due in another five minutes. He glanced around the docks, but saw no approaching shadows, and heard no one coming. Something was fishy. Sonny had sent him to meet with Roscoe in his place, and he hadn't questioned it. He never questioned anything Sonny asked of him.

It was why Robin had dumped him last summer.

She turned a blind eye to the violence, the much larger salary than any other 'valet' made, but when he got shot, she had asked- no, ibegged/i him to leave Sonny's. And he had flat out refused. Sonny was there for him when no one else in the world was. Sonny was the father and brother and boss and best friend that he had never had. He would never leave him.

And with tears glistening in her beautiful brown eyes, she had told him goodbye. She told him she loved him and always would, but she could not live with someone who had so little regard for their own life. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't regret it.

Thinking about Robin was bad for him. It put a pain in his chest, sometimes he drank, often he cried, but more than anything it distracted him from his work. And when his finely tuned ears heard the click of the gun silencer, he knew he had let his instincts get away from him. He drew his own gun, but it was too late. He didn't even know which direction the shot came from.

Crumpling to the wooden pier, Stone clawed a hand at the blood quickly staining the left side of his chest. It seemed Robin Scorpio had finally broken his heart for good.

_August 2, 2004_

They had been told that this Dr. Patrick Drake was supposed to be the very best in the business, and Robin and Sonny and even Mac had insisted that no chances were to be taken with his life- especially six weeks before Stone was to be marry the love of his life. They'd had their ups and downs, their hard times, and their times apart, but he and Robin had finally gotten it right. She was done with her internship and he was moving up in L&B, and they were finally ready to take the first step towards forever together.

A brain tumor, caught early and easily operable. The doctor seemed confident enough that it would be no more difficult than putting a band-aid on a booboo. Robin was with him every step of the way of course. "You're lucky I think you're cute with a buzz cut," she'd said with a kiss, rubbing her hands over his newly shorn head. 

"I'm lucky period, babe," he'd said returning the kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she answered. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Stone smiled and waved at her, as he was wheeled down the hallway.

"Are you ready for this, Mr. Cates?" Dr. Drake asked after he explained the procedure to Stone one last time.

"Yeah, Doc, I'm okay with the surgery. Just cut me up and fix me up, dude," Stone said.

"Not talking about the operation, I'm talking about afterwards," Dr. Drake grinned. "Are you really ready to go through with imarriage/i? I mean, she is _gorgeous_-"

"Yeah, she is," Stone answered proudly.

"But one woman? For the rest of your life?"

Stone laughed. "You'll see, man. A lady like her- it's a gift."

Dr. Drake laughed too, and motioned the anesthesiologist over. "Well, whichever way you go after today, the one thing I know is that you won't feel a thing from here on out. See you on the other side, Mr. Cates."

And it was the last thing Stone heard.

_September 1, 2056_

"_What about Christmas, 2038?" Robin whispered._

_Stone laughed into her hair. "Malcolm, Jeremiah and Anna all sneaking home on Christmas Eve and surprising us?"_

"_Yeah," she cuddled into him and kissed his hand. "That was a good year."_

_They'd had a good life. Five beautiful children. Four grandchildren and one more on the way. For the past forty years, Stone had run his own label, R&S Records, and Robin had long since retired, but had been a world renowned doctor. Research in immunology. They had never forgotten the work and the mission of their wonderful friend, Jon Hanley._

_Their golden age had allowed them time to play, to relax and spend some of the fortune they had built over the years. One of their favorite things to do was sail the world on their private yacht._

_Robin had squealed like a child when she'd first laid eyes on the Sea Robin, almost thirty years ago. Stone had been sailing since the early days of L&B, it was always a great way to entertain clients, and now they finally had a floating playground of their own. The yacht was trim and neat, and they were fully capable of captaining it themselves._

_It was only about an hour ago that they had discovered the leak. It seemed like the cruelest twist of fate that they couldn't figure out the glitch in the radio equipment. They had no communication with the outside world. Their boat was sinking._

_Robin had cried in his arms. There was so much left to their life. Anna was pregnant with her second child. Sophia, their younger daughter was to be married in the spring. So much, so much life left._

_Stone just held her until her tears subsided and then kissed her like he hadn't kissed her since they were teenagers. He knew. He was eighty years old and he knew it was their time. They'd had a good life. And as he heard the water lapping under the door in their state room, where they lay on the bed as they had together for the past fifty-three years, Stone thought to himself that he was getting all he'd ever wanted out of life: to die in Robin's arms._


End file.
